


Love is More Powerful Than Death

by The_Night_Kitty



Category: How to Train Your Dragon (Movies)
Genre: Developing Relationship, Dragon Relationship, Dragon transformation, F/M, Grief/Mourning, M/M, Mild Language, Mild Sexual Content, Minor Violence, Post-How to Train Your Dragon 2, Presumed Dead
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-27
Updated: 2018-11-13
Packaged: 2019-05-29 14:08:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 14
Words: 13,377
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15074804
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/The_Night_Kitty/pseuds/The_Night_Kitty
Summary: Berk rapidly begins to fall apart after Hiccup's tragic death. The gods decide Hiccup is too important for the peace and balance of the world for it to be his time. So they allow him to return to start a whole new chapter in his life.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Welcome. I had this story posted for years on fanfiction.net and it is really popular. I hope you enjoy it as well. I love comments.

It had been a few months since Toothless and Hiccup defeated Drago Bludfist and his alpha Bewilderbeast. Ever since, Drago had planed to return to Berk to seek revenge. Unfortunately for him his alpha was not willing to return not matter what the man tried. Because of this, Drago knew he could not try and take control of Berk again. Instead he decided to get his revenge by making their Chief suffer in the worst way possible. He would kill his dragon. Drago knew that without his Night Fury, Hiccup would fall apart and be unable to lead Berk. It also meant that with Toothless gone, Drago would probably be able to force his alpha to help take Berk.

Drago's plan was to sneak into Berk and at the right opportunity, kill Toothless while he was alone. He would then return to his alpha for phase two. Drago's army of warriors had all left once the alpha was defeated. He had to do this himself. The man did not mind too much because HE wanted to be the one to kill that dragon.

After packing his spear and a few extra weapons, the evil man left for his destination by ship.

* * *

It was a normal evening on Berk with everyone from the academy was practicing various tasks with their dragons. Today's training was to improve weak areas of anything from flight maneuvers to combat. Almost everyone was in the sky practicing. Although it had been years since peace was made with dragons, Hiccup still wanted to dedicate time to train. He was determined to have everyone on Berk flawless with their dragons to be prepared for the next big threat. Now that Hiccup was Chief, this goal was easier to obtain.

Hiccup and his friends were no longer the only members of the academy. Since every viking on the island had their own dragon, training was much more in demand. Hiccup of course remained the head trainer with the help of his friends. Now he had even more knowledge of dragons than he ever thought possible with the assistance of his mother.

Valka was currently in the sky with Cloudjumper giving instructions to improve flight to the less experienced riders. Hiccup was perfectly confident she had things under control. As hundreds of dragons and vikings were high in the sky, Hiccup and Toothless were on the ground in the main part of their town. It was deserted, which gave them plenty of room to practice.

Hiccup had told everyone to improve their weakest moves, so he intended to as well. The two best friends were going over ways to get back together in situations that they would get separated.

"Okay Bud, I want us to try a few more scenarios before it gets too dark," said Hiccup.

The dragon nodded in agreement and allowed his friend to continue. "Let's practice with me being on higher ground and getting on your back as quickly as possible. I'll start up on that roof and you wait here." Hiccup said and pointed up to a house that was a good ways up a hill.

Toothless growled in approval and watched his rider head up the hill and enter the house. It had only been a few weeks ago that they finally got rid of the last shard of ice from the former alpha's breath. It took a lot of work and every Viking and dragon was happy that it was done.

Toothless decided to lie down near the base of another house in order to stay still enough for Hiccup to land on him. He looked up in the distance to see Hiccup appear on the roof. The young Viking was too far away to be heard so he said nothing as he checked his glide armor to make sure everything was functional.

Meanwhile Toothless lazily watched him when he suddenly heard a noise nearby. One ear perked up, but the dragon decided it was nothing to worry about. Probably a baby dragon wandering around.

Hiccup looked up from his gear and his eyes widened at what he saw. Drago Bludfist was on the roof of the house by his dragon. No one seamed to see him, including Toothless!

Reacting immediately Hiccup leap off the roof and glided as fast as he could towards them. While he was in the air he saw Drago raise his spear and get ready to jump off the roof. "NO!" Hiccup screamed as he took out his weapon with one hand. The movement caused his gliding to fail but not before he had time to spray Zippleback gas around Drago.

In rapid process of falling, Hiccup ignited the gas around them causing a large explosion. Toothless had heard Hiccup's scream and had just enough time to see that Hiccup was not gliding onto his back and was using his weapon. What happened next was too fast for even a Night Fury to dodge as the three of them flew in different directions from the blast.

The explosion caused a lot of damage to the house and a large piece of debris hit Toothless in the head dazing him. The three of them were lying several yards apart on the ground with Hiccup closer to Toothless than Drago was.

Hiccup opened his eyes and his hand flew to his head. He felt blood which told him that along with some burns, he hit it when he fell. He began to sit up and to his horror, Drago had already risen and was limping towards a helpless Toothless with his spear in hand.

One quick look at his dragon told Hiccup that Toothless was momentarily unable to defend himself. Ignoring all the pain, Hiccup leaped to his feet and grabbed his weapon nearby. He ignited his flaming sword and intercepted Drago. Hiccup slashed his sword at Drago's spear in an attempt to knock it away. Drago pulled his hand away in time to dodge and tried to knock the Chief out of the way. He was still planning to kill his target.

Hiccup recovered quickly from the partial shove and leaped in front of Drago again, sword in hand. Toothless was just then able to clear his blurry vision and what he saw he will never forget.

Realizing that he could not get rid of his opponent, Drago yelled out and drove his spear straight through Hiccup's armor and into his chest. Toothless froze in shock when he saw Hiccup gasp and stumble a few steps backward. His eyes rolled back and he fell to the ground completely motionless.

Time seemed to stop for a moment. Then in realization of what had just happened, Toothless let out the loudest and most horrifying screech that every airborne dragon and viking could very much hear.

By the end of the screech, Toothless had begun to glow blue with rage just as he did when he became the new alpha. Drago saw that he was in danger and tried to retrieve his spear from Hiccup. Before he could even grab it however, Toothless had tackled him. The last thing Drago saw was the look of pure fury in the dragon's eyes as he charged up a plasma blast and shot Drago in the head.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Toothless grieves more than anyone.

In a very short amount of time, Berk had lost two great chiefs. Hiccup's funeral was similar to his father's only every dragon and viking attended. Gobber led the funeral as he did with Stoick. He gave blessings to Hiccup as his ship left the shores of Berk.

Toothless was the the first one to ignite the drifting ship followed by the viking's arrows. Tears were shed as the dragons lowered their heads in sorrow. The only dragon who made a sound as the flaming ship drifted away was Toothless.

The Night Fury gave a great roar and shot a plasma blast straight into the sky in respect. He was then unable to contain himself anymore and began to cry as loudly as a dragon could. With throaty-gasping sobs.

Astrid wiped away her many tears and looked at the grieving dragon. She never thought that anyone could be suffering worse than herself, but Toothless was proving her wrong. It had only been a few hours into the night and the viking girl could easily see how much all this was destroying the dragon. Toothless had saved Hiccup's life on countless occasions and was unable to this time. She knew that the Night Fury felt like he had failed his rider. To make it even worse was the fact Hiccup died to save Toothless.

Toothless saw that Astrid was looking at him so he covered his face with his wing. Valka tried to comfort him, but he moved away from her and suddenly ran away from the scene.

Long after the ship had burned and sunken into the sea, many of the vikings closest to Hiccup remained. Valka had finally stopped crying and went over to try and comfort Astrid. She put a hand on her shoulder as Astrid continued to stare off into the sea. The sun was beginning to rise when Astrid finally spoke.

"In all the times he was in danger, I only truly thought I had lost him once. I didn't know him as well then, but he showed me he was too strong to be taken easily. After that day I prayed to the gods nothing like this would ever happen again. For a while…I thought they granted my wish. But I guess nothing can be perfect."

Valka waited a moment taking in what she said before she herself added. "When you love someone hard enough, they never truly leave. They are always with you in your heart."

Astrid looked at her and gave a small smile before the two followed the others back to the village.

* * *

Two weeks had passed since the incident and Berk was not doing very well. With Hiccup gone, the strong-upbeat attitude of the village had left with him. Their new chief was even having difficulties getting both vikings and dragons to complete their normal assigned tasks.

Thanks to an election, Astrid Hofferson became the new Chief of Berk. Something she had always wanted, but hoped to never achieve since it would mean there was no Hiccup. She appointed Valka as the head trainer of the academy for she was far too busy herself. The constant work did not bother her however, it kept her mind busy. Valka's new position seemed to have that effect as well. Gobber was also keeping himself busy by overworking in the forge.

The one Astrid was really concerned about was Toothless. The dragon kept to himself and hardly ever ate. He refused to let any dragon or viking get too close to him. Astrid and Valka were the only exceptions but flying with him was out of the question. Toothless had not flown his Hiccup was alive and she knew this was adding to his depression. Eventually Astrid told Gobber to try and modify the Night Fury's tail-fin so he could fly by himself. Toothless refused to even let Gobber touch the artificial fin and would growl whenever he tried. Astrid knew she had to do something or she feared that Toothless would do something harmful to himself or worse.

* * *

One night Toothless was walking alone when he heard a familiar voice behind him. "Alpha Toothless".

He turned to see Stormfly and Cloudjumper land next to him. Both dragons gave a quick bow to their alpha before Stormfly spoke again. "Please you must eat something, you are wasting away."

Toothless sighed, "I'm not hungry."

Cloudjumper's eyes narrowed knowing this was a lie. "Then a least let them give you the ability to fly again, you…"

Cloudjumper the cut off by Toothless speaking harshly. "No! I refuse to fly without Hiccup!"

Stormfly sighed and said, "Hiccup would not want you to…"

Toothless hissed at her words causing the dragon to become silent. "Do not tell me what Hiccup would want! You do not know him like it did!"

Cloudjumper approached the Night Fury sternly as Stormfly backed away. "Then tell us how we can help you!"

"I do not need help! I am the alpha and I order you to leave me alone!" Toothless growled.

"Sorrow will not bring him back," Cloudjumper said before he and Stormfly flew away.

Toothless growled at his comment and was tempted to chase and attack the bigger dragon. He decided not to since he had little energy from lack of food and sleep. Once the two dragons disappeared, Toothless returned to his home hoping he could finally sleep and temporarily forget everything.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Don't worry the whole story isn't depressing like this.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hiccup gets a second chance.

Hiccup slowly opened his eyes to see he was in a forest. It was in the middle of the day and no one was around. He could only hear birds chirping. He raised his head to look around and realized something. He had no memory of how he got there or even who he was.

Hiccup tried to stand and made another discovery. His body felt strange, as if it was not his own. Although he could not remember anything from his past, Hiccup was confused to find he stood on four feet. The concept was unfamiliar to him. He also felt unknown limbs on his back, but was able to move them to see that they were black wings. He had a long black tail with two moveable tail-fins as well.

With some difficulty, Hiccup managed to walk up to a nearby stream to look at his reflection. He was not sure how, but he knew he was a dragon. Even though he did not even know his own name, Hiccup had a feeling he was not born a dragon. 'That would explain why my body feels so foreign,' he thought.

"Hello?" Hiccup called out hoping to find someone who could help him.

He automatically perked up one of his ears to listen but heard nothing. Sighing, Hiccup looked up at the sky for a moment and saw something fly high above him. Although the figure had a different appearance than he did, he knew it was another dragon. As the other dragon flew away, Hiccup saw what direction it was heading. He decided to follow it hoping the dragon was not a threat and it could lead the way to finding out his identity.

It took a while, but Hiccup got used to walking and even how to fold up his wings to prevent tripping. The forest seemed never-ending as he continued to walk in the direction the dragon flew away. When he saw a clearing in the trees ahead he rushed towards it. He discovered that he was on top of a hill overlooking a village. Caution was not felt within him as it seemed almost like he had been there before.

* * *

Astrid, Gobber, and Valka were at the forge trying to convince Toothless to accept a proper tail fin. They were standing around him speaking calmly, but the dragon kept his head lowered not responding.

Suddenly his ears stood up and he looked past the Vikings to a nearby house. The others turned to see what he was looking at and gasped. A black dragon a little bit smaller than Toothless had stepped out from behind a house. The other dragon was looking around for something.

"I-is that another Night Fury?" Astrid asked.

"It is one," Valka confirmed.

As the Vikings stared at the dragon, Hiccup did not seem to notice them. He sat up and continued to search for something to give him answers. The sight of another one of his kind caused a lot of emotions to stir up in Toothless at once. The strongest was anger because it made him think of Hiccup. He knew Hiccup would have loved to see another Night Fury and now the fact he never will, ignited a terrible-irrational rage within him.

The Vikings were brought out of their amazement by a sudden roar from Toothless. Hiccup jumped in surprise finally noticing the other dragon that looked like him. Before Hiccup could do anything, the other Night Fury knocked the humans away from him with his wings. Toothless charged at Hiccup planning to violently attack.

As the three Vikings yelled in protest, they saw Toothless suddenly skid to a complete stop. When the dust settled around the dragons, what the saw instantly silenced them.

Toothless was standing right in front of the other dragon completely frozen with shock. Hiccup was sitting up with his eyes squeezed shut and his head turned away. Out in front was Hiccup's clawed paw held just inches from Toothless' snout.

Toothless stared at the frightened dragon for a moment until without really thinking, he pressed his nose into the palm of Hiccup's paw. Hiccup's eyes shot open at the contact. Every one of his memories from the past twenty years flooded into his mind at once. The overwhelming mental breakthrough caused Hiccup to fall to the ground on his side unconscious.

* * *

The first thing Hiccup saw when he opened his eyes was Toothless. The dragon was sitting a few feet away from him partially lit up by torches. He was staring him with serious eyes and did not move when Hiccup raised his head. The better view informed Hiccup that they were alone in Gobber's forge late at night.

"Toothless?" said Hiccup.

Toothless' eyes greatly widened and he demanded, "How do you know my name?"

It was Hiccup's turn to be shocked as he exclaimed, "Whoa! I just understood you! I must be dreaming."

Toothless' ears perked up when he realized the other dragon's voice sounded like Hiccup's. Hiccup went to rub his eyes with his hands only to see that he did not have hands, he had dragon paws.

Toothless could clearly see the other dragon panicking and looking at himself so he spoke again. "You are not dreaming."

"Then how am I a dragon?!"

Starting to put the pieces together, Toothless asked, "W-who are you?"

Hiccup calmed down and stared into Toothless' eyes. "It's me Bud…Hiccup."


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Toothless gets his best friend back.

The two dragons were silent for a moment before Toothless bore his teeth at Hiccup. "You are not Hiccup! How dare you say that! Hiccup is…dead."

Toothless turned his head away at the last word he said. Hiccup was even more shocked by this knowledge. "I-I died?" he whispered.

Toothless made eye contact with Hiccup sorrowfully and said weakly, "Yes, Hiccup…died. Why would you say you're Hiccup? To try and hurt me even more?"

Taken aback Hiccup responded quickly, "No! I don't want to hurt you! But I really am Hiccup. Please trust me."

Toothless stared at Hiccup with very serious eyes. "Then prove it. Say something only Hiccup would know."

Hiccup thought hard for a minute before he knew what to say. "When you were under the alpha's control, I told you that you are my best friend. It gave you the strength to come back to me."

Hiccup's simple response made Toothless' eyes widen and his pupils to expand. "H-hiccup?" he whispered.

Hiccup nodded before being tackled by the larger dragon. Hiccup was forced on his back with Toothless above him nuzzling and purring into his neck. When Hiccup began to nuzzle back he realized that Toothless was crying. He gently pushed his dragon off of him and stood up.

Toothless wiped tears from his eyes with the back of his paw as Hiccup stared at him. "I really did die," he whispered.

Toothless sniffed and looked at him. "You don't remember?"

Hiccup shook his head. Toothless hesitated before saying, "You were killed by that bastard Drago."

"Drago returned?!"

"Yes…he wanted to kill me. You died protecting me."

To Hiccup's surprise, Toothless lowered his head shamefully when he said this.

"Toothless why are you ashamed by that?"

Toothless returned his eyes to Hiccup and said loudly and despairingly. "Because I never wanted you to die for me! I was the one who always needed to protect you!"

Tears were forming in the dragon's eyes again so Hiccup approached him and nuzzled his neck. "You're my best friend Bud, I don't regret dying for you. You must never blame yourself."

Toothless purred and hugged Hiccup. When they pulled away Hiccup asked. "How long was I gone?"

"We had your funeral about two weeks ago."

"I don't understand it. If I died, then how am I here? How am I a Night Fury?"

"I do not know, but there is a reason for everything," Toothless replied.

Hiccup smiled at his dragon but it quickly became a frown when he noticed something. He saw how thin and frail Toothless was, something he never thought he would see. "Toothless? Have you not been eating?"

Toothless turned away from him and answered quietly. "I haven't had much of an appetite."

Hiccup glared at him for his lie. "And why are you still wearing your riding gear? You can't fly with that. Gobber could have easily made you a…"

Hiccup was interrupted by Toothless' sudden reaction. "Because I didn't want to fly alone!"

"But why couldn't Astrid or Mom…Oh my gods! Astrid, Mom, Gobber! They don't know I'm alive! We have to go tell them!"

Hiccup went to leave the forge but was stopped by Toothless extending a wing. "It's really late. We will tell them in the morning. Besides I'm really enjoying our first two-sided conversation."

Hiccup smiled at his dragon and laid down facing him. Toothless got comfortable too when Hiccup asked. "What happened to Drago?"

Toothless looked at Hiccup seriously before replying, "I killed him."

"What?! Toothless you don't willingly kill people! That isn't like you!" Hiccup exclaimed.

Toothless' eye flinched at the word 'willingly' but did not acknowledge it. "Of course I killed him! He murdered you! I wasn't going to let him get away with that."

Hiccup sighed, "Well it's done now. Just promise me that you will never kill anyone else."

"I promise," Toothless said kindly.

The two dragons spent the next hour discussing what Hiccup had missed. Toothless told Hiccup how Astrid became the new chief and Valka was the head of the dragon training academy. The longer Toothless talked, the more Hiccup had difficulty giving his full attention. Not because he was not interested. But something was really bothering the former Viking and he could not stop thinking about it. That fact that Toothless was not taking care of himself, was clearly emotionally unstable, and Hiccup figured he had not flown since he died was greatly concerning him.

"Toothless?" Hiccup said while the other dragon was in mid sentence.

"Yes."

"When I was…you know. Were you planning to end your life?"

Toothless blinked a few times a bit surprised by his question. The dragon did not need to think about the answer so he spoke the truth. "No. But words cannot describe how difficult life was without you."

Hiccup was relieved but said, "Even though we are the same age Bud. It is obvious that one of us is going to outlive the other. When that happens, we must continue our life."

Toothless was silent for a moment as he took in Hiccup's words. "You're right Hiccup, I was a fool."

"No, I couldn't imagine life without you either. But we must learn to accept it and enjoy what we have now."

Hiccup sat up and went over to hug the other dragon with his forearms. Toothless purred and licked Hiccup's forehead. Both were surprised that Hiccup was not grossed out by this like when he was human.

Both dragons turned to look outside at the sight of sunrise. Soon they would give the wonderful news to all of Berk.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Everyone learns the wonderful news.

It was not long after sunrise that Vikings began to appear on the streets. The two dragons left the forge and waited outside. "Our friends should be here soon. They don't know who you are yet, but they were excited to see another Night Fury," Toothless explained.

Hiccup nodded and was the first to spot Astrid along with Valka, Gobber, and his other friends. When Astrid saw the waiting Night Furies, she motioned for the others to hurry to them. Astrid was relieved to see that Toothless was no longer aggressive towards the other dragon. She was worried when Toothless refused to leave the unconscious dragon last night.

"Mom! Astrid! Guys!" Hiccup happily exclaimed and ran over to them.

Hiccup went up to Astrid and Valka and began to purr and nuzzle them. "Wow you weren't kidding. There really is another Night Fury," said Snotlout.

"Yeah and he sure is friendly," Ruffnut noted as Astrid and Valka were petting him.

Hiccup looked at the twin and realized they still did not know who he was. "It's me everyone! Hiccup! I'm back!"

Hiccup expected surprised reactions from the Vikings but instead saw confusion on their faces. Although Hiccup said who he was, the Vikings only heard dragon noises and not their own language. Toothless walked up next to Hiccup and said to him, "You are a dragon now, so I guess you can only speak our language."

"No! This can't be! How do I tell them it's me?!" Hiccup asked him hysterically.

"What's wrong with the new Night Fury?" Hiccup heard someone ask.

Hiccup was clueless on what to do but Toothless suddenly got an idea. He ran off up the hill as Hiccup called after him, "Where are you going?!"

"I'll be right back! I have an idea!"

Hiccup looked back at the increasing crowd of Vikings. Everyone was silent when the dragon approached Astrid. He sat up and stared into her eyes sadly.

"Something's not right here," Astrid stated as she stared at Hiccup.

"What do you mean?" Fishlegs asked walking to her side.

"It's like this dragon knows us somehow. Why else would he be so friendly towards Toothless and all of us," the chief replied.

Everyone was silent for a moment again before they saw Toothless run back over to them with something in his mouth. He approached the crowd and dropped a slobbery Viking helmet at their feet. It was Hiccup's old helmet, the one that was part of his mother's armor. Toothless could not retrieve Hiccup's recently used helmet because it was burned with his body.

Everyone stared at the object before Valka spoke to Toothless sadly. "Toothless why would you bring that out? You know what happened to Hiccup."

Toothless huffed impatiently and put his paw on the helmet. He then motioned with his head towards Hiccup.

"What is Toothless trying to say?" a random Viking shouted.

Astrid said nothing and took a step towards Hiccup. The former Viking gave her a kiss on the cheek. A kiss with his lips and not a tongue kiss like other dragons.

"H-hiccup?" she stammered.

Hiccup nodded his head and pointed a claw at himself. Everyone was silent before Valka spoke up. "How is that possible?"

Hiccup shrugged his shoulders before the news officially sunk into everyone's mind. All of Berk cheered at once and surrounded Hiccup. They hugged, kissed, and petted him while Toothless watched happily.

Gobber was about to pat Hiccup on the head when he felt someone tap his shoulder. He turned to see Gothi silently motioning for him to follow her. Only a few Vikings could understand the elder's silent form of communication, but she still wanted to speak to the blacksmith in private. She lead him behind a nearby house and began to draw her words in the dirt with her staff.

When all the Vikings moved away from Hiccup, Astrid and Valka remained in front of him. "This is incredible. How on Earth is this possible." Valka thought out loud.

Hiccup shrugged his shoulders again indicating he did not know either. "But how are we going to communicate? Hiccup can understand us just like Toothless, but we can't understand him," said Astrid.

Hiccup's ears drooped from being reminded of this. He looked over at Toothless who shrugged as well.

Suddenly everyone heard someone clear their throat loudly and they all saw that Gobber and Gothi had returned.

"The elder has told me she had a vision last night," Gobber announced. "The gods told her they allowed Hiccup to return because of his important role on Earth. Hiccup as we know brought peace between the Vikings and dragons and has defeated evil hearts. He is too special for his time to be over on Earth."

Everyone was silent as they took in the elder's words told by Gobber. After a moment Gobber continued, "Gothi has also been given the knowledge of a new language. One that can be used to communicate between dragon and Viking."

The citizens of Berk stared at Gothi who motioned for everyone to follow her to the town square.

* * *

Over the next two long weeks, Gothi (with the help of Gobber) taught the new language for most hours of the day. It was a form of sign language that could be used by a Night Fury. Some words were conveyed by simple movements of the front claws while others involved the wings and tail. Both Toothless and Hiccup learned quickly while Astrid, Valka, Eret, Hiccup's friends and many other interested Vikings attended the class as well.

Once the entire language was learned, Vikings could speak normally to the Night Furies while the dragons would use their new sign language to communicate back. It was a whole new step in the bond between Vikings and dragons.


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hiccup has a "talk" with Astrid.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "..." = words spoken
> 
> '...' = words through sign language

On the evening of the final day of learning the new language, Hiccup was eager to try it out. No communication was directly made yet due to the lack of knowledge. But now Hiccup and Toothless could finally speak back to the Vikings.

Hiccup watched admiringly as Astrid gave some Vikings their nightly guard duties. He waited patiently for her to finish before approaching. "Oh hi Hiccup," she said kindly.

Hiccup cooed and motioned with his head for her to follow him. She obliged and followed him to the top of a private cliff just outside the village. The sun was setting and some lit torches added extra light. The dragon motioned for her to sit and get comfortable in the grass. Hiccup sat up so he could use his front paws ready to finally speak to Astrid.

'Berk made a wise choice electing you chief' he said.

Astrid smiled, "Thank you Hiccup, that means a lot to me,"

Hiccup nodded and continued, 'If you ever need help with anything, just let me know'

"I will."

'And Astrid.'

"Yes Hiccup."

'Even though we can no longer be together. I want you to know I will always love you.'

Astrid wiped away a tear and said, "It's okay Hiccup. I'm just so happy to have you back at all. I love you too."

Hiccup bent down and gave her a lip kiss on her cheek before sitting back up. 'You can date anyone you want now, don't worry about hurting my feelings.'

Astrid chuckled a little. "I think I will want a little time before that. But I appreciate it."

Hiccup gave a gummy smile like Toothless always did and the Viking girl laughed. She stood up and gave Hiccup a kiss on his nose. "Well I better get back."

Astrid went to leave but turned back to the dragon. "Hiccup?"

'Yes.'

"Thanks for everything."

After the girl left Hiccup stayed on the cliff for a while thinking about everything. Once the sun had set he decided to returned to his home. During the language classes, Astrid had some Vikings build him a new house. It was near his old house which Valka was now living in. The new home had one floor with a human-like bed in Hiccup's room only it was dragon-sized. Toothless had a room too of course but his bed was still the stone slab he liked which was moved to the new house. The living room area had a fireplace and two large legless chairs they could curl up in. The kitchen was simply counters and troughs full of fish. Ever since Hiccup became a dragon, he preferred raw fish over cooked meat.

Hiccup pushed open the front door with his nose. The door had no knob and was intended to always be pushed open. He saw Toothless sitting in his chair in front of a lit fireplace.

"Where have you been?" Toothless asked kindly when he heard the other dragon.

"Trying out what we've learned on Astrid." Hiccup replied and sat in his own chair.

"How did it go?"

Hiccup smiled happily, "Great! She understood everything I said."

"Good, it's nice to know we can finally have conversations."

Hiccup agreed and started to stare at the fireplace. Toothless looked at him and saw that he did not notice he was being watched.

Recently Toothless had begun to struggle with some new unknown feelings. He was not completely sure but based on what he had seen through Vikings and some other dragons, he thought he was falling in love with Hiccup. Toothless had always loved Hiccup, but ever since he became a dragon, the Night Fury felt a new feeling of attraction towards him. It was normal for same gender mates to be together in the dragon community. It sometimes occurred when two dragons did not wish to reproduce. There was also of course the fact that no dragon or human could control who they fell in love with. Toothless really did not know what to do about the situation. He completely assumed that Hiccup did not feel the same way towards him. But now that Hiccup and Astrid were no longer a couple, the dragon could not help but wonder if they could be a together.

Suddenly Toothless saw Hiccup begin to look at him so he turned away before being noticed. "Hey Toothless?"

"Yes," he replied making proper eye contact..

"There's something I've always wanted to ask you."

"What is it?"

"The day I found you in the woods after I shot you down. I will always regret doing that by the way. I decided to release you. But why did you spare my life? I was taught that dragons ALWAYS go for the kill."

When Hiccup finished, Toothless did not need time to think of his answer. "I spared your life for the same reason you spared mine. When you held up your knife I had accepted you were going to kill me. But you didn't. I knew that all Vikings were raised and taught to hate and kill dragons. It was the same for me about Vikings. But you fought against all that you knew to realize what you were going to do was wrong. I returned the favor and just made sure you would never try and shoot me down again."

"I fainted after you screeched at me so I think it did the trick," Hiccup said quietly.

Toothless laughed loudly, "You did?! Well I bet you're glad no one saw that,"

Hiccup laughed as well. "Yeah, and it's a good thing no one saw me release a Night Fury."

When the two stopped laughing Toothless added seriously, "Don't regret shooting me down. It allowed us to meet and later bring peace. It greatly improved countless lives, including mine."

Toothless got out of his chair and nuzzled against Hiccup. The smaller dragon returned the gesture making Toothless purr.

"Well we better get to bed. We have big plans for tomorrow," Hiccup said then went towards his room.

Toothless looked at him confused, "What are we doing?"

Hiccup turned his head back and replied, "We are getting you a proper tail fin."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have always admired the scene in HTTYD where Hiccup spares Toothless' life. As mentioned in the chapter, it is very hard for anyone to go against how they were raised, whether it's wrong or not. Hiccup thought killing a dragon was what he wanted and would improve his life, but he fought against it to do the right thing.


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Toothless returns to the skies.

The next morning, Hiccup was actually the one to wake Toothless. He entered Toothless' room and started jumping on him with his front paws. The sleeping dragon groaned and looked over at Hiccup. "Alright Mr. Bossy."

Hiccup chuckled and got off his dragon. Toothless stood up and stretched. When Hiccup saw Toothless stretch his wings he held out his own and said, "It still feels odd having these things."

Toothless gave an amused snort, "Well at least you're not missing any limbs anymore."

"Yeah and I have some extra ones!"

Toothless laughed as he watched Hiccup wave around his tail. When Hiccup stopped, he headed for the front door. "Come on Toothless! Let's get you a new tail fin."

Toothless could not agree more with his idea. His depression was gone, he was back to his healthy weight, and was very eager to fly. The two dragons ran from their home and straight to Gobber's forge. The blacksmith was working on a saddle with Grump sleeping nearby. Hiccup made a cooing sound to get his attention.

"Well hello you two!"

Hiccup smiled and signed, 'Hi Gobber! Can we get a new tail fin for Toothless?'

Gobber smiled at the two happy dragons and said to Toothless. "Well it's about time you stubborn dragon."

Toothless nodded in a way of saying "I know, I know."

Toothless then brought his tail over to Gobber so the Viking could remove the old fin. Gobber had already made the self-controlling fin a while ago since he was trying to give it to the Night Fury for a long time. The new fin looked just like his old one. The red color would help Vikings know which Night Fury he was if he was alone. In no time he attached the new fin and removed his saddle and other riding equipment. Toothless was visibly upset to see the saddle go, but luckily Hiccup was there to reassure him.

"Alright that should do it," Gobber announced.

Toothless sat up wanting to try out the new language, 'Thank you Gobber.'

"You're very welcome Toothless."

Toothless could not help but get excited at the fact Gobber understood him.

Hiccup thanked Gobber as well and ran outside with Toothless.

* * *

Hiccup followed Toothless up to the cliff were he had spoken to Astrid. He watched his dragon move his new fin to make sure it was working properly.

"Well go on," Hiccup encouraged.

Toothless grinned at Hiccup before making a vertical leap into the air. Hiccup got comfortable on the cliff and watched his dragon enjoy a much needed flight above Berk. It reminded Hiccup of the one other time he saw Toothless fly on his own. But this was very different than that Snoggletog holiday. This time Hiccup was overjoyed at Toothless' happiness instead of being sad that he left.

After about ten minutes, Hiccup was surprised to see Toothless fly back and land on the cliff. Toothless noticed his confusion and said, "It's no fun flying without you."

"Uh I can't ride on your back anymore Bud."

Toothless rolled his eyes, "I know that, but you do have wings now."

Hiccup's eyes widened, "What? No I can't fly! I don't know how."

Toothless sat up confidently, "Well it just so happens your best friend is an expert flyer."

"You think you can teach me?"

"I know I can."

For the next fifteen minutes the two dragons stayed on the cliff and practiced flapping their wings. Toothless did not need to teach Hiccup how to steer with his tail. It was something Hiccup has been doing for years with Toothless.

When they finished practicing with their wings Hiccup asked, "Okay now what?"

Toothless gave Hiccup a sly look and to the former viking's horror, the dragon started to push Hiccup from behind towards the cliff's edge. "Toothless stop! What are you doing?!"

Toothless continued to push as Hiccup tried to plant his claws into the ground. The larger Night Fury was stronger however and in no time pushed Hiccup off the high cliff. Hiccup yelled out but did not fall far. He suddenly felt new instincts take over and he opened his wings to glide. He glided over houses and flapped his wings to gain height. Hiccup yelled out in triumph and flew higher and higher. When he went to fly straight he saw Toothless flying beside him. The other dragon got closer so that they were side by side without their wings touching.

"Feels good doesn't it," said Toothless.

"Oh my gods Toothless! This is even better than riding a dragon!" Hiccup exclaimed.

"In no time you will be an expert just like any other dragon."

"So you knew I would learn quick? Is that why you pushed me?"

"Of course! Baby dragons can fly so such a smart guy like you would learn in no time."

If Hiccup was still human he would have blushed at his dragon's comment. Dragons still feel all emotions, but a blush was not visible.

* * *

For two hours Hiccup and Toothless flew together. Near the end of the flight Hiccup could even preform a few tricks and other maneuvers. When they flew lower Hiccup spotted Astrid walking down to the stables. He eagerly landed in front of her.

"Hiccup! You were flying!"

Hiccup jumped around her excitedly before signing, 'I know. Toothless taught me. It is so amazing.'

Astrid looked over to see Toothless land beside him. "Nice job Toothless," she said.

Toothless smiled and nodded.

Meanwhile high up on a cliff, a hidden enemy was watching them. It was a Berserker who was in a secret lookout that no one on Berk knew about. After Dagur the Deranged was defeated by Hiccup, Alvin, Stoick, and the other allies years ago, he was put in prison on Outcast Island. A few months after the incident, he escaped. But for years the enemy tribe had not caused any trouble on Berk or made any contact. This was what the Hooligans thought anyway. During the years without aggression, Dagur still had a Berserker occasionally sneak into Berk and spy on the enemy.

"So they found another Night Fury. Dagur sure will be pleased with this," the Berserker declared and left for his hidden ship.


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Some major discoveries are revealed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'd like to clarify why Dagur is a villain in this story. First, when I originally wrote this it was before the Race to the Edge series made him become an ally. Second, Drago Bludvist was killed in the beginning of the story and I needed another antagonist for these upcoming chapters.

The Viking spy eagerly docked his boat on Berserker Island and ran up to his leader.

"Dagur! I have important news!"

The deranged leader glared at him before hitting the spy to the ground with a large hammer. The other Berserkers laughed and Dagur shouted,

"Is that any way to speak to your leader?!"

The spy got to his feet massaging the side of his head and avoided eye contact. "Sorry sir. I have something to report to you my leader."

Dagur smirked wickedly and leaned on his standing up hammer. "That's better, now spit it out."

Now daring to look Dagur in the eye the other Berserker said, "There is another Night Fury on Berk."

The Berserkers all spoke to each other before their leader held up a hand to silence them. "Are you sure about this?"

When the Viking nodded Dagur laughed in victory. "Wonderful! Now that Hiccup's dead, it will be a breeze taking the new Night Fury. I will finally have one!"

Thanks to his spies, Dagur was aware of Hiccup being murdered. "Once I have it, I will train it to kill all of my enemies. Hmm I wonder how long it will take. Probably not too long, I can be very persuasive with my…"

Dagur's ramblings were cut off by a Berserker. "Sir. What about the other Night Fury?"

"You mean the crippled one with the stupid name?"

The Viking nodded and Dagur rolled his eyes expressing that he was stating the obvious, "We kill him of course! We can't let the Hooligans have a Night Fury too. They could use it to try and get mine back."

Dagur then went over their plans to capture Hiccup.

* * *

That evening on Berk Astrid noticed how Hiccup was visibly upset about something. Toothless was talking to Stormfly so the former viking was alone. The Viking girl finally went up to Hiccup and motioned for them to talk in private. She was pretty sure she knew what was bothering him. Recently a few single young Viking men began to try and flirt with Astrid. The newly single chief would usually put a stop to it right away. She was by far the most responsive towards Eret's attempts. However she told him she needed time away from any romance which he respected.

Although the Vikings tried to do this away from Hiccup, she knew her ex-boyfriend was still aware of it.

Once the two were in a private area she asked what was wrong. Hiccup sighed and answered, 'It's just I've seen that other Vikings like you and yet you reject them all.'

Astrid was a bit surprised by his answer, "So? What's wrong with turning them away?"

'Well I don't want you to miss out on love because of me.'

Astrid smiled, "Don't worry about me Hiccup. I just need my space right now.

Hiccup nodded with uncertainty so Astrid spoke again, "I'll be fine. You should be thinking about your own feelings more. Someone else loves you now."

Astrid knew what was going one with Toothless. She had seen the way he would admire the other dragon when Hiccup was not looking. They had also become even closer than before which she had not thought was possible.

Hiccup was very surprised by Astrid's statement. 'Who?'

"It's not my place to say Hiccup. But you are very clever, you'll find out soon enough."

She then left Hiccup alone to his thoughts.

When Hiccup returned home that night he saw Toothless in the kitchen eating some fish. The fireplace was providing some light as Hiccup joined him. He had decided not to tell Toothless about his talk with Astrid. He still did not know who else loved him but did not feel like discussing it. When they finished their meal Hiccup told his friend he wanted to go to bed. He was worn out from flying so Toothless went to his bed as well.

* * *

In the middle of the night the house was suddenly filled with a dragon's screech. To Toothless however, he knew it was Hiccup screaming the second he woke up. The Night Fury leap out of his room and burst into Hiccup's. Toothless found him sitting up in his bed with his eyes wide and pupils slit. He was breathing heavily and did not react to Toothless' entrance.

Toothless ran to his side and urgently asked what was wrong. Toothless yelling alerted Hiccup of his presence and he jumped in surprise. The larger dragon saw the former Viking shaking so he climbed into the bed and hugged Hiccup with his forearms. They stayed this way for several minutes as Toothless waited for him to calm down. Once his breathing became normal Toothless held Hiccup at his arms length and stared into his eyes.

"What happened?" he asked much more calmly.

Hiccup took a deep breath and his pupils expanded as he relaxed. "I had a dream of how I got to return. Gothi was right, I am here because the gods found me so important…and then…I saw my death."

Toothless sighed, he was hoping that memory would never return to him. He pulled Hiccup back into a hug and said, "Let's not worry about the past. You're still here with me and that's all that matters."

"Thanks Bud, you're the best friend I could ever want," Hiccup said as they parted from their hug.

A part of Toothless was saddened by this. It was a wonderful thing for Hiccup to tell him, but Toothless was sure now that he really was in love with his friend. The dragon hid his feelings and asked, "Are you going to be okay tonight?"

Hiccup nodded, "Yeah it's like when I have nightmares about my dad. I just need to tell myself its a dream and will not happen again."

Even though it was dark in the room, Hiccup's new improved vision picked up a great deal of remorse on his dragon's face.

"I didn't know you have nightmares about that," Toothless whispered and looked away.

"Toothless…I know I've said this many times but I do really mean it. I don't blame you for what happened," Hiccup stated.

Toothless sighed and looked back at him. "Yeah but I blame myself. Why wasn't I strong enough to resist that damn Alpha!"

Hiccup flinched from Toothless shouting the last part. "Mom told me that even good dragons under control of bad ones can do bad things. I knew that you weren't yourself when you tried to hit me."

When Hiccup saw Toothless' horrified reaction he cursed to himself. He did not realize Toothless was unaware that his original target to kill was him. Toothless covered his face with his paws and Hiccup said urgently,

"Bud I know you would never hurt me! I'm sorry I shouldn't of told you that!"

It was quickly becoming clear that Toothless was more mentally unstable than Hiccup was at the moment. When Hiccup tried to say something else, the other dragon ran out of the room and outside.

"Toothless! Come back!" Hiccup yelled and ran after him.

By the time Hiccup made it outside as well, Toothless had already taken flight and disappeared into the night.


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Toothless takes some time to think.

Hiccup searched the skies for his dragon but with Toothless being a Night Fury, it was impossible to locate him. He wanted to fly after him but was not comfortable enough with flying to try. And he had no idea even what direction he went. Hiccup sighed and sat down outside his home and restlessly waited for his dragon to return.

* * *

Toothless was not paying attention to where he was flying and was too upset to care. In no time however he found himself at his cove and landed. Toothless yelled out in frustration and shot a fire blast at the ground nearby.

'I almost KILLED him!' his mind shouted over and over again.

He walked over to the lake and looked at his reflection lit from the partial moonlight. "What if I did kill him," he said out loud.

If Hiccup's father had not of been there, Toothless now knew what would have happened. He felt so angry at himself. I was the most horrible experience in his whole life seeing Hiccup be killed. The new thought of himself being the murderer was too much to even imagine. All of the realities faced him of what would have happened if Hiccup was shot. He would still be under the Alpha's control along with all the other dragons. Berk would be completely destroyed and Drago would have won.

Toothless closed his eyes tight trying to get all the bad thoughts out of his head. When it was not working he released a breath he did not realized he was holding. Taking a few slow breaths calmed him down a bit until a new thought crossed his mind.

'What if something like this happens again? What if I do end up killing him?'

Toothless covered his face with his paws again. He considered the option of leaving and never coming back to keep Hiccup safe. But when he started to plan it out, another part of him told him to stay. Hiccup would be as devastated if he left as he would be. It would be too much pain for both of them to be apart even if Hiccup did not love him the same way. He finally convinced himself that Hiccup was strong and smart enough to prevent Toothless from hurting him. The best thing for them would be to stay together.

* * *

The sun was beginning to rise and Hiccup still did not see any sign of his dragon. He was so frustrated that he could not be there to support his best friend through his emotional stress. When it had been hours since Toothless left, a horrible thought came into his mind. 'What if he ran away?'

Hiccup stood up and began to panic. Now that Toothless could fly on his own, it was a possibility. He frantically searched the sky and sighed with relief when he saw a dark figure flying from the direction of Raven Point.

When Toothless landed in front of Hiccup, the former Viking smacked him on the head with his wing.

"Don't leave like that! You scared me to death!" Hiccup shouted.

Toothless' ears drooped and he looked at Hiccup with guilty puppy eyes. "I'm sorry. I just needed some time to think."

Hiccup sighed, "Well you could of at least told me that."

Toothless nodded before Hiccup yawned.

"You should go get some sleep. I'll wake you up when everyone else is up," said Toothless.

Hiccup agreed and went back into their home. Once he was sure Hiccup was in his room, Toothless entered his home as well to eat some fish.

* * *

When Hiccup was back up to start the day, he urgently went to find his mother alone. Ever since he returned as a dragon, Hiccup noticed how Valka had little to no interaction with him. He feared that she seemed to have been too scarred from losing her whole family. That she did not fully believe that Hiccup had received a second chance.

He found her outside his old house talking to Cloudjumper. Hiccup ran up to them and politely asked the other dragon to give them some privacy.

"It's good that you're here, she really needs her son," Cloudjumper said before flying off.

Hiccup knew that Valka did not understand them as she looked at him confused. He sat up to begin using sign language.

'Is everything okay Mom?'

"Oh yes I was just telling Cloudjumper about something Gobber told me."

Hiccup knew she was lying and spoke again. 'I had a dream last night. The gods told me why I am still here, it's just like the elder said… and then I saw Dad.'

Valka's eyes widened. "Y-you did?"

Hiccup nodded, 'He is in Valhalla happily watching over us. He told me how much he loves us and how proud he is.'

Valka was silent for a moment before tears began to fall down her cheeks. Hiccup licked them off which she did not mind. She was more used to dragon kisses than even human ones.

"Hiccup that is so good to hear."

She approached Hiccup and hugged his neck. He hugged back with his forearms and wrapped his wings and tail around her. When they pulled away Hiccup added,

'I really am here Mom, and I don't plan on going anywhere.'

Valka smiled at her son and he could see happiness sparkle in her eyes once more.


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hiccup learns a lot more about Toothless.

The rest of the day was mostly uneventful. Hiccup spent most of his time helping Astrid with some chief duties whenever she needed it. She was a very successful leader, but of course occasionally had questions about her new role. When he returned home at sunset he spotted Toothless lying on their roof watching the beautiful view. Feeling guilty that he spent little time with him that day, Hiccup used his wings to help him jump up to the roof as well.

Toothless looked over at his friend and smiled, "Where have you been?"

Hiccup got comfortable next to the other dragon and replied, "Oh just helping Astrid. She really is a great chief but is still adjusting to her new roles."

Toothless nodded and looked back at the view. "I saw you seek out your mother this morning. Is everything okay?"

Hiccup turned to look at the sky as well. "Yeah, I told her about my dream last night and how I saw my dad. I think it made her finally realize I'm still here."

Toothless nodded to indicate he was listening. The two were silent for a moment before Hiccup turned to Toothless. "Tell me about your life. You know before we met. I've always wanted to know."

Toothless made eye contact with Hiccup and was a bit surprised by his request. "Well there's not much to tell really. Nothing good either. I hatched twenty summers ago on Dragon Island. My parents didn't gave me a name because dragons normally never do. Along with myself, the three of us were the only Night Furies on the island."

Hiccup nodded and eagerly waited for Toothless to continue.

"As you already know, all the dragons on the island were controlled by what you call the 'Red Death'. We had to retrieve food for him which unfortunately often meant stealing from Vikings. But because of how rare and powerful Night Furies are, my parents did not have to steal any food. Instead they were ordered to attack the Vikings while the others took the animals. I once asked why and Dad said because if we don't attack the Vikings, we will be killed by them. He told me how a Viking had killed his father so all humans want is to kill dragons."

Hiccup sighed, "That kind of was true for a long time."

"Yeah before you came along," Toothless added and nudged him playfully making Hiccup smile.

"Anyway when I turned five summers old, the Red Death ordered me to join in the attacks. My mother argued back that I was still too young to be put in so much danger. When my father agreed, the Red Death used his mind control to force them. Surprisingly they resisted the control and…he killed them."

Toothless lowered his head sadly and Hiccup was speechless. After a moment Toothless said, "After that he convinced me it was the Vikings' fault they died. He told me any dragon who resists him will end up getting the Vikings to come and kill all of us. I foolishly believed him for years and never had the courage to stand up to him before I met you."

After a moment of silence Hiccup said, "I'm sorry for your loss."

Toothless sighed "Yeah it was very hard for me, but I never thought I would have such a great life after that."

The two smiled at each other before their gazes returned to the sky. A few minutes later Hiccup asked, "Have you ever been in love with someone?"

Without thinking Toothless muttered, "No one but you."

As soon as the words left Toothless' mouth he inhaled sharply and looked at the other dragon. Hiccup's eyes had widened looking at him and his ears were perked up. Toothless swore loudly and abruptly launched into the air making Hiccup flinch from his sudden take off. When Toothless started to quickly fly away Hiccup yelled, "No you don't! Not again!"

Hiccup took off as well and tried to catch up with Toothless while yelling for him to come back. Toothless ignored him and flapped his wings faster. Hiccup was having more and more trouble keeping up with him due to being a far less experienced flyer. It was still light enough though over the ocean to see the fleeing dragon. Toothless seemed to realize this however when he suddenly flew upward through the clouds. Hiccup followed but when he emerged above the clouds, it was too dark to see him.

The former Viking gave a frustrated yell and hovered for a moment calling for his dragon. When he got no reply, Hiccup dove back so he was steadily gliding a little above the ocean. As he was heading back to Berk he had some time to process what Toothless had said. He was not expecting the response at all. He had simply asked him if he loved anyone to learn more about his life. He felt a little foolish of the fact that Astrid knew of this before he did.

Hiccup could not help but notice how he was only shocked by this and not offended or anything else negative. He had never imagined the idea of him being with Toothless. But the more he thought about it, the more it made sense.

Toothless had been his very first friend, and was there for him even before Astrid and Stoick were. They had always been so close and it greatly increased when they were finally able to properly communicate. Now that Hiccup was a dragon, he could not help but think it would be possible for them to date. They have always looked out for each other and would risk anything to save the other. Hiccup now knew a whole new side of Toothless by becoming a dragon and it made him like him even more.

As Berk began to show up in the distance, Hiccup realized he really did have feelings for Toothless. His dragon was just too scared to admit his own love. Hiccup thought eagerly about Toothless returning so he could admit his own feelings to him.

Hiccup's thoughts were interrupted when he suddenly heard something behind him. He turned his head just in time to see a flying net wrap around him. His wings were forced together and he yelled out as he fell from the sky. He plunged into the ocean but was only underwater for a moment before he felt something grab the net around him. He was pulled about of the water and thrown onto a ship. Hiccup demanded to know why the men attacked him, but all that came out was roars to them.

When the group of men suddenly stepped aside Hiccup gasped at who he saw.

"Dagur!" he roared.


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Toothless searches everywhere for Hiccup.

A week had gone by since Hiccup was captured and Toothless was a complete wreck. Hours after he fled his friend's side, he had reluctantly returned home that night. He snuck into his room assuming Hiccup had gone to bed himself. The next morning when Toothless did not see him he thought the former Viking was avoiding him. He did not mind because he was dreading facing him after how he accidentally confessed his love to Hiccup. It was unfortunately not until the late afternoon when Astrid expressed her concerns about not seeing him, that Toothless realized he was gone.

Toothless never for a second thought Hiccup had run away, he just figured he was keeping to himself. But when the Night Fury searched the cove and all of Hiccup's other alone-time places, he realized that he was no longer on Berk. Everyone was searching with their dragons but no one found him. Not even Skullcrusher could pick up his scent and with each passing day, Toothless slept less and searched more.

By the seventh day, Toothless would not interact with anyone. He always flew separate from the other search parties in different locations. Even though he still had no idea what happened to Hiccup, he blamed himself for losing him. If he had not of deserted him, he would still be here. As he flew over the ocean searching the skies and sea, Toothless thought about how some of the Vikings and dragons wanted to give up. He despised them for even considering that and told himself he would find Hiccup even if he had to do so alone.

While he was flying he spotted a ship in the distance. He got closer but kept a safe altitude. When he approached the dragon picked up the familiar foul smell of Berserkers. He growled and was about to fly away when he noticed something about the ship. The large sail had a different symbol on it. Where it should have displayed a Skrill, there was a Night Fury. Almost as soon as he saw their new symbol, Toothless knew where Hiccup was.

"Oh my gods!" he exclaimed and without a second thought, took off towards Berserker Island.

* * *

Hiccup was forced out of his cell and into the enclosed training arena yet again. The area was similar to the one on Outcast Island with no way to fly out. Archers on higher ground aimed their arrows at Hiccup as the miserable dragon walked with his head down to the middle of the arena.

It had been the same routine every day. He would be forced out of his small cell and made to approach a waiting Dagur. There were also dozens of armed Berserkers circled around the edge of the arena. These many Vikings prevented Hiccup from defending himself or even running away.

Dagur would use all sorts of weapons to try and get the Night Fury to do what he wanted. No matter what Dagur did however, Hiccup refused to obey the deranged Viking. Hiccup was covered in cuts and other injuries from his "training" because of this.

Dagur was getting more and more enraged each day. He was fully aware how much the dragon was suffering and yet he did not give in. He could not figure out how and why his prisoner was so strong and resistant. Dagur had also noticed how the Night Fury would not fire any plasma blasts. He used this as an advantage but made a note to force him to once he was broken. He would need them to kill Dagur's enemies.

As Dagur tried yet again to get on Hiccup's back, the dragon forced him to the ground like an angry bull. Dagur gave an angry yell and stabbed a dagger into the side of Hiccup's front leg. Hiccup roared out and tried to pull it out with his teeth. But before he was able to do so the leader hit him in the side of the head with a large hammer. Hiccup fell to the ground dazed, but managed to trip the approaching Dagur with his tail.

"ENOUGH!" the Berserker yelled getting to his feet. "Bring out the chains!"

Hiccup knew too well what was coming next. Several Vikings brought out a wooden platform with many attached chains and shackles. They forced Hiccup on the platform and restrained his legs and neck. He struggled but knew it was futile.

Once he was barely able to move, Dagur said loudly. "Everyone leave! I have some punishing to do and I don't want an audience!"

All of the Berserkers but Dagur left the arena and the area around it. He took a step up to Hiccup and starred in his eyes. "You will obey me dragon. And until you figure that out I will continue to punish you."

Hiccup growled lowly and his eyes widened when he saw the Viking reach for the dagger in his leg. The deranged man grabbed the handle and started to twist it in the wound. Hiccup screeched for several agonizing seconds before one of his ear flaps stood up.

Both the Viking and dragon heard the unmistakable whistle of a dive-bombing Night Fury.


	12. Chapter 12

Dagur and Hiccup looked up just in time to see Toothless blast a hole in the cage bars above. He folded his wings and dove through the hole. Before Dagur had a chance to react, the furious Night Fury tackled him from above.

The evil Viking was knocked on his back unconscious from the force of the dragon. Toothless began to charge up a plasma blast ready to go for the kill. He was just about to fire when Hiccup shouted, "Toothless! No!"

Toothless swallowed his flame gas and turned around to look at the chained up dragon. "After what he's done to you he doesn't get what he deserves?!" he roared.

Hiccup looked at his dragon with serious eyes. "No more killing, you promised."

Toothless sighed and glared back at Dagur before going over to Hiccup. He spotted the dagger in Hiccup's leg and said, "We have to get that out. I'll count to three."

Hiccup held his breath and turned away. Toothless took the handle in his teeth and said a muffled three seconds. He abruptly ripped the weapon out and Hiccup screeched in pain. Once his breathing calmed down, Toothless began to rip apart the chains with his teeth and claws. The second he was free Toothless wrapped his forearms around him in a tight hug.

"I'm so sorry Hiccup! This is all my fault."

When he pulled away the larger dragon saw the injuries that covered Hiccup. It destroyed him to see it but what he was more concerned about was the stabbed leg Hiccup was cradling. "Let me get a better look at that," Toothless said and bent down.

As soon as he lowered his head, Hiccup saw to his horror that Dagur had snuck up behind him and was about to swing his ax into Toothless' head.

"NOOO!" Hiccup yelled and as he yelled he released a plasma blast. It shot over Toothless' head and hit Dagur in the chest. The Viking flew several feet back and his weapon fell to the ground. Toothless sat up and they both looked at the smoking dead Viking.

"Oh gods! What have I done!" Hiccup exclaimed.

Just then a Berserker opened the gate to the arena. He was unarmed so he ran out when he saw what had happened.

"Hiccup! We have to go! Now!" Toothless yelled and started to push the shocked dragon towards the open gate.

After a moment Hiccup realized what was happening and started to limp as fast as he could to the exit. Once they were outside, both dragons took off wanting to get as much altitude and distance away as possible. Many Berserkers were already waiting to attack nearby. They shot flaming arrows at the dragons who kept dodging and flying higher.

When they were over the ocean just off shore, an arrow suddenly hit Toothless' artificial tail fin. It caught on fire and in no time burned away. Toothless roared out as he started to fall. Hiccup looked back to see him trying to stay airborne and about to land on a ship full of armed Berserkers.

He flew back and shouted. "Toothless! Fold your wings!"

Toothless was not sure what Hiccup's plan was but obeyed and started to fall faster. Hiccup dove after him and grabbed onto him with his legs. He started to frantically flap his own wings but was not strong enough to keep them both in the air. He was however able to steer them away from the dangerous ship so they landed in the ocean.

When they emerged from underwater they spotted the ship sailing towards them. As they treaded water, Toothless waited for the ship to get closer before firing a plasma blast directly into the hull. The front of the ship was blasted apart and instantly started to sink.

Toothless grabbed onto a large slab of the wooden ship with his front paws and started to swim away from the enemies. He looked over in surprise to see that Hiccup had grabbed on and was pushing away too.

"Hiccup fly! Get out of here!"

Hiccup looked back at the submerged Vikings to see they were gaining a good amount of distance away. "No I won't leave you."

Toothless gave a frustrated huff at Hiccup's stubbornness but was grateful for his help in swimming. The two dragons kept hanging onto the wood and started off in the direction of Berk.


	13. Chapter 13

_Two Days Later_

Toothless and Hiccup clutched onto the wooden slab with the last of their strength. They had been swimming ever since they escaped Berserker Island and have not seen a single piece of land. They were now very aware of how far islands were away from each other without just flying there.

Hiccup had tried to fly and pull Toothless with his tail, but it cost him even more energy than swimming. They had taken turns pushing but had no food, water, or sleep. The only good luck they had was not encountering any aggressive sea dragons.

Toothless stopped swimming to take a break and looked at his friend next to him. Hiccup was starting to show signs of giving up. Neither of them even knew if they were going in the right direction anymore.

"We're going to make it Hiccup. I just need a break and then I'll keep going," Toothless said softly.

Hiccup lifted his head off the slab and looked at his dragon. "Toothless, if we don't make it…I want you to know I love you too."

Toothless' eyes widened and he was speechless. He looked away as he took in what the former viking had just told him. He had never felt so happy and momentarily forgot their situation. He looked back at Hiccup who had his head back down. Toothless cooed happily and gave a loving lick on top of Hiccup's forehead.

His happiness quickly faded when he realized that Hiccup had passed out from exhaustion. He dove underwater before the other dragon could slip off the slab and came back up with Hiccup draped across his shoulders. With some difficultly he grabbed onto the wood again while keeping Hiccup's head out of the water. The new weight on his back made it almost impossible to even keep himself above water.

He looked up at the sky wishing for a miracle when he saw something. High up just below the clouds were two dragons. He could tell one was Cloudjumper by his four wings. Toothless roared out to them as he was also beginning to lose consciousness. The last thing he saw was Stormfly and Cloudjumper hover down to them.

* * *

The first thing Toothless saw when he opened his eyes was Hiccup watching him nearby. The other dragon was lying down with his injured leg wrapped in bandages. They were in Gobber's forge alone with torches being the only source of light. Toothless lifted his head as Hiccup eagerly limped over to him and nuzzled his neck.

Toothless pulled away to make eye contact with him. "Are you okay?"

Hiccup smiled, "I am now."

Toothless did not seem convinced as his eyes searched all over Hiccup for anything serious. The smaller dragon still had many cuts but they were all covered in a green medicine. But Toothless was satisfied however by how much more high-spirited Hiccup was now.

"How did we get here?" Toothless finally asked.

"Mom and Astrid were searching for us when Stormfly heard your call out to them. They said they found you struggling to stay afloat with me on your back. That happened this afternoon," Hiccup explained.

Toothless nodded before being hesitant to ask, "What did Daggur do to you?"

Hiccup's smile faded, "Physical torture because I never obeyed him. But the worst was I wasn't sure I would ever get out of there. How did you find me by the way?"

Toothless gave a little smirk, "The Berserkers were dumb enough to change all their crests to a Night Fury symbol. Not exactly a subtle move on their part."

Hiccup and Toothless laughed before Hiccup said admiringly, "You really are an amazing friend Bud."

Toothless paused then asked, "Could I be more than your amazing friend?"

Hiccup looked away nervously, "You mean mate? I don't know."

Toothless cooed to get Hiccup's attention. "Night Furies mate for life. So we can take as long as we want to go further in our relationship."

Hiccup sighed with relief, "Good, in that case I would love to be your mate."

Toothless hugged Hiccup as he hugged back. The two stayed like this before Hiccup pulled away and asked, "But if we don't have sex, then how will we be mates?"

Toothless just then realized how Hiccup didn't know anything about dragon mating. It made perfect sense due to the dragons always leaving Berk to mate.

"We take the mating flight together," said Toothless.


	14. Chapter 14

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hiccup and Toothless become mates for life.

Hiccup was sitting on his roof that morning waiting for Toothless. They were going to become mates today and Hiccup was a little nervous. They waited a week so Hiccup could heal enough to take the flight. They had not told anyone about their plans to become mates. They were not ashamed or anything but Hiccup was worried about everyone's approval.

The former viking turned suddenly to see Toothless land next to him. Both Night Furies sat up and kissed each other on the lips. It was not their first kiss but it was something both were enjoying more and more. When Toothless tried to put his tongue in Hiccup's mouth he pulled away.

"Woah Bud not so fast," said Hiccup.

Toothless tilted his head in confusion. "Do you not like it?"

"It's not that, it's just vikings don't usually kiss like that so soon," Hiccup replied.

Toothless nodded, "Oh I see, that must be a human thing. Dragons usually kiss with their tongue. I'm sorry I don't want you to feel uncomfortable."

"It's okay Toothless, you didn't know," Hiccup reassured.

They gave each other a hug before Toothless asked, "Are you ready for today?"

Hiccup gave a small sigh, "Of course, I'm just worried about the others."

Toothless used his paw to make Hiccup look at him. "Hiccup if they do not support our happiness, then they are not truly our friends. But don't worry, I know they will be happy for us."

Hiccup smiled and nodded, "Okay let's go."

Then without another word the two dragons took off into the sky. Toothless had already explained the mating flight so both knew exactly what to do. They flew over the ocean with Berk nearby. They ascended until they were just above the clouds. They hovered for a moment facing each other before they both dove back through the clouds. They plummeted head first but kept eye contact the entire time. Their wings were folded to their bodies but neither of them were afraid. This was something they had done for years. The mating flight was to prove their trust in each other, which was a piece of cake.

When they came closer to the sea, instead of going to glide both dragons grabbed on to each other's claws. They moved closer to each other and began to twirl in their plummet.

Meanwhile Astrid and Valka were in the town square feeding their dragons. Cloudjumper spotted the far away falling black figure and happily knew what it meant. He barked at the vikings and gestured with his head for them to look as well.

"What are Hiccup and Toothless doing?" Astrid asked out loud.

Valka smiled as she watched, "They are preforming their mating flight."

Astrid put her hand on her hip and smiled as well. "Well it's about time."

As the ocean became even closer both dragons still held on. Then at the very last second they pulled away and flew apart to keep from crashing into the water. When they joined each other's side in the sky, no words needed to be said. Both dragons knew they were mates for life.

* * *

_One Year Later_

Hiccup waited on his roof early that morning for Toothless to get up. It was difficult for him to get away considering they now slept together. He watched Astrid in the distance holding hands with Eret. He did not mind, he was happy for her just as she and everyone else supported his own relationship.

The past year had been amazing. No dangerous battles or enemies to deal with. Without their leader, the Berserkers made no attempt to attack again. This made Hiccup realize that most of their aggression came from their deranged leader. Now instead of fighting, everyone on Berk worked hard to keep the peace, which was something Hiccup always wanted.

Hiccup and Toothless were closer than ever and both loved the other deeply. The previous night had been the first time they made love. Hiccup greatly enjoyed it but was not happy about the new bite mark on his shoulder. Toothless had already apologized a million times and explained that it is instinct for the dominant male to bite his mate. He reassured him that it would heal quickly, but Hiccup made an important mental note to avoid his mother for the next few days. She would be the only one to know what the bite mark meant.

Hiccup smiled to see his mate land next to him. He didn't say anything but instead leaned against Toothless. The other Night Fury returned the gesture as they enjoyed each other's company.

Toothless could not help but always be thankful for how wonderful his life was. He experienced the horrible tragedy of loosing Hiccup. But now he knew that love truly is stronger than death.

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoyed my story. Thanks for reading.


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